Kobo Aura HD "You need to format disk" Message after FW Update

rostyvyg · 11-19-2013, 08:42 PM

I thought it was - See post #25 of this thread, but then I made a mistake connecting to Wi-Fi to install a dictionary and the error is back again...

I recently bought Kobo Aura HD. When I connected it to my computer after unpacking the computer recognized the device and I could see the KOBO file structure in Windows Explorer just fine. Then I inserted a 32GB microSD card and set Kobo up with acces to my Wi-Fi. After getting access to the Internet Kobo updated itself to FW version 2.10.0. Since then every time I connect it to the computer via USB cable my PC displays "You need to format disk... before you can use it" and I can only see the microSD card content in Windows Explorer. The main memory of the device is presented as an unformatted drive and can't be accessed. Meanwhile the device seems to work fine otherwise - it recognizes ebooks I write to microSD card, I can read books, search Kobo online offerings, etc. I would not be too worried about this besides the fact that I can't sideload fonts now and Calibre can't read Kobo database (which I assume is located in main memory). Anyone have any suggestions?

PS. I already did the pinhole reset (no joy), then restored to factory configuration (and after the resore I was able to see the ereader main memory when connected to the PC until it again auto updated the FW and then the main memory became inaccessible in Windows Explorer). Kobo Desktop can't connect to the device either.

Any advise will be highly appreciated. Thanks.

Ken Maltby · 11-19-2013, 09:14 PM

My AuraHD is running under Firmware 3.0.0 that I downloaded from https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=185660

I went from 2.8.1 to 3.0.0 so I never dealt with 2.9 or 2.10, but it should be worth a try.

Luck;
Ken

davidfor · 11-19-2013, 09:52 PM

I had a problem recently with my Glo where each time I connected to the PC, Windows would tell me the filesystem was dirty. The solution was to do a factory reset. This formatted everything and once it finished updating to 3.0.0, it was OK.

Do you have another computer you can test with? If so, see what it says. It shouldn't be any different, but, it could be a sign of a problem with the PC rather than the device.

If it happens on another computer, I think I would let Windows do what it wants. It should only be able to access the user portions of the drive. Reformatting will wipe the books and the database. When you disconnect, it will take you through the setup again. Hopefully, everything will be OK after that.

speakingtohe · 11-20-2013, 12:21 AM

Well I am lucky in that I seem to get all of the undocumented features.

I have already posted on this in another thread (yesterday?)

I kept getting this message every time I opened my reader after updating to 3.0.0. Did not happen on 2.1.0. I connected to calibre and it went away only to be replaced with a reset every time I powered on. (I did not get a file dirty error/must scan error) Luckily it is a very fast reset taking only about 30 seconds.

I changed books and it started normally several times, so I thought maybe a book related problem although the book worked on my 2.8.1 mini.

Then I let it go to sleep and 1/2 hour later it reset when turning it on. I have to push the power button at least 3 times to even get it to turn on.

Also since 2.10 I have been getting a pseudo cover displayed before the real one for about 10 seconds when going to sleep. In 3.0.0 I still have that and when the home screen displays it first display a cover with two outline boxes and the title in the center, then the real covers show up.

So far my Aura HD has always turned on and/or connect, and even when I was getting the message to please format my card to FAT32 it would display the home screen and I could open the books on the card (all of my books are on the card) with no further problems until next time it woke up grumpy.

BTW this isn't a Windows message it is a message displayed on the Kobo screen and pressing X or OK would let the reader continue on it's normal way.

Helen

PS
The last time it went to sleep it did not get around to displaying the real cover. So I powered on using the increasingly familiar reset procedure, put it to sleep and the real cover showed up again and I was able to power on normally.

I am starting to think it is smarter than I thought and is messing with my head

.

Helen

Nick Payne · 11-20-2013, 05:10 AM

Since I updated my Aura HD to 3.0.0, the power button no longer seems to work. Sliding it across and holding it doesn't power off, and I have no idea if it would work to power the reader on as I can no longer power it off. I have the reader in a sleep cover, so I hardly ever use the power button anyway, but now if I need to power cycle the unit for any reason, the only way is via a paper clip in the reset hole. The reader otherwise seems to work fine.

jackastor · 11-20-2013, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick Payne

Since I updated my Aura HD to 3.0.0, the power button no longer seems to work. Sliding it across and holding it doesn't power off, and I have no idea if it would work to power the reader on as I can no longer power it off. I have the reader in a sleep cover, so I hardly ever use the power button anyway, but now if I need to power cycle the unit for any reason, the only way is via a paper clip in the reset hole. The reader otherwise seems to work fine.

Could be the files were corrupted somehow. I would maybe redo the update to 3.0 and see if that cleans it up. You may want to do a factory reset first and start fresh, but how and if you do it is entirely up to you. At this point as to why the switch is not working is any ones guess. It could be a defective switch that just happened to break at the same time you did the update. In which case warranty would b your best option if the reinstalling the update does not work.

regards

Jack

rostyvyg · 11-20-2013, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidfor

Do you have another computer you can test with? If so, see what it says. It shouldn't be any different, but, it could be a sign of a problem with the PC rather than the device.

Well, I tried to connect it to two other PC's - different versions of Windows and got the same "You need to format..." message on all of them. Bummer...

rostyvyg · 11-20-2013, 11:14 AM

Just got off the phone with Kobo customer care. They acknowledged that they are having tons of issues with 2.10 version of their FW including the symptoms I described and are working on fixes. ETA is unclear so far, though. I really love the hardware, shame they deploy the buggy software onto it...

Ken Maltby · 11-20-2013, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rostyvyg

Well, I tried to connect it to two other PC's - different versions of Windows and got the same "You need to format..." message on all of them. Bummer...

How does it work if you remove the external 32gb uSD card, from your AuraHD? If you plug the 32GB card into a reader attached to your PC (not your Kobo) what are its Properties?

Luck;
Ken

DNSB · 11-20-2013, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rostyvyg

I recently bought Kobo Aura HD. When I connected it to my computer after unpacking the computer recognized the device and I could see the KOBO file structure in Windows Explorer just fine. Then I inserted a 32GB microSD card and set Kobo up with acces to my Wi-Fi. After getting access to the Internet Kobo updated itself to FW version 2.10.0. Since then every time I connect it to the computer via USB cable my PC displays "You need to format disk... before you can use it" and I can only see the microSD card content in Windows Explorer. The main memory of the device is presented as an unformatted drive and can't be accessed. Meanwhile the device seems to work fine otherwise - it recognizes ebooks I write to microSD card, I can read books, search Kobo online offerings, etc. I would not be too worried about this besides the fact that I can't sideload fonts now and Calibre can't read Kobo database (which I assume is located in main memory). Anyone have any suggestions?

PS. I already did the pinhole reset (no joy), then restored to factory configuration (and after the resore I was able to see the ereader main memory when connected to the PC until it again auto updated the FW and then the main memory became inaccessible in Windows Explorer). Kobo Desktop can't connect to the device either.

Any advise will be highly appreciated. Thanks.

I didn't see any issues with the internal uSD card but for the short while I was on the 2.10.0 firmware, I found that my Aura HD was very fussy as to which uSD card I used in the external slot. On power cycle, I would get an error about not being able to read the card. After dismissing the error message, the ebooks on the card were accessible. At one point, I used the SD Card Formatter to format the external card while it was in the Kobo. Format went okay, copied books back, ejected and disconnected. Processing went fine. Power cycle. Popup about card needing to be formatted.

After the 3.0.0 update, the issue seems to have disappeared and I can swap in any of the cards without issue.

Regards,
David

rostyvyg · 11-20-2013, 07:30 PM

Just to add to the original problem description. I performed the factory reset. The PC sees Kobo just fine before I set up the device. I sideload FW version 2.10.0 or 3.0.,0 it upgrades the FW and, again, PC sees Kobo, no problem. Now, after I set up the device (Wi-Fi and sign into Kobo) - here it goes, - after that my PC can't see ereader anymore and gives me "You need to format..." message. Works like a clock - tried multiple times. The moment I set up Wi-Fi and sign into Kobo the ereader becomes inaccessible from the PC. Go figure...

PeterT · 11-20-2013, 07:44 PM

What happens if you leave the 32GB SD card OUT of the unit?

rostyvyg · 11-20-2013, 08:07 PM

That's what I did last few times, I removed microSD card from eReader and went through factory reset, FW upgrade steps. As I said, the moment setup is finished eReader starts causing "You need to format..." message. I tried to connect it to Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 2008 computers - same message. But! My son offered me to try to connect ereader to MacBook Pro and there was no error message and we were able to see internal memory of ereader in Finder. So - no joy on any of the Windows PC's and OK on Mac. This is driving me nuts...

rostyvyg · 11-20-2013, 08:19 PM

Saga continues. So I decided not to connect to Wi-Fi and try to setup ereader using Kobo Desktop. Factory reset, PC sees ereader, sideload FW 3.0.0, unplug ereader, update goes through, connect to PC, PC sees ereader just fine, starting Kodo desktop, going into "Setup ereader", see circling progress indicator for a few seconds, then message - "can't communicate to device". Looking in Windows Explorer - no ereader listed anymore. Disconnected, connected again and now the "You need to format drive..." message. As if something happens in the background and alters Windows "perception" of the device soon after the FW upgrade goes through...

davidfor · 11-20-2013, 08:37 PM

This makes me think there is a problem with the internal SD card. When it was connected to the Mac, did you copy any files to the drive? Another test would be to do the factory reset, connect to the PC but not start the Kobo desktop. Then see what happens if you copy a few files to the drive. If that fails, then I think it is the internal card.

In any case, I would probably return it and get a replacement. If for some reason you can't do that, you can open it, take the SD card out and test it. Or replace it with another. You will need an image to do that, but that can be supplied.

11-19-2013, 08:42 PM	#1
rostyvyg Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2013 Device: Kobo Aura HD	Kobo Aura HD "You need to format disk" Message after FW Update I thought it was - See post #25 of this thread, but then I made a mistake connecting to Wi-Fi to install a dictionary and the error is back again... I recently bought Kobo Aura HD. When I connected it to my computer after unpacking the computer recognized the device and I could see the KOBO file structure in Windows Explorer just fine. Then I inserted a 32GB microSD card and set Kobo up with acces to my Wi-Fi. After getting access to the Internet Kobo updated itself to FW version 2.10.0. Since then every time I connect it to the computer via USB cable my PC displays "You need to format disk... before you can use it" and I can only see the microSD card content in Windows Explorer. The main memory of the device is presented as an unformatted drive and can't be accessed. Meanwhile the device seems to work fine otherwise - it recognizes ebooks I write to microSD card, I can read books, search Kobo online offerings, etc. I would not be too worried about this besides the fact that I can't sideload fonts now and Calibre can't read Kobo database (which I assume is located in main memory). Anyone have any suggestions? PS. I already did the pinhole reset (no joy), then restored to factory configuration (and after the resore I was able to see the ereader main memory when connected to the PC until it again auto updated the FW and then the main memory became inaccessible in Windows Explorer). Kobo Desktop can't connect to the device either. Any advise will be highly appreciated. Thanks. Last edited by rostyvyg; 01-10-2014 at 12:37 PM. Reason: Issue resolved - sharing the tip...

11-20-2013, 12:21 AM	#4
speakingtohe Wizard Posts: 4,812 Karma: 26912940 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: sony PRS-T1 and T3, Kobo Mini and Aura HD, Tablet	Well I am lucky in that I seem to get all of the undocumented features. I have already posted on this in another thread (yesterday?) I kept getting this message every time I opened my reader after updating to 3.0.0. Did not happen on 2.1.0. I connected to calibre and it went away only to be replaced with a reset every time I powered on. (I did not get a file dirty error/must scan error) Luckily it is a very fast reset taking only about 30 seconds. I changed books and it started normally several times, so I thought maybe a book related problem although the book worked on my 2.8.1 mini. Then I let it go to sleep and 1/2 hour later it reset when turning it on. I have to push the power button at least 3 times to even get it to turn on. Also since 2.10 I have been getting a pseudo cover displayed before the real one for about 10 seconds when going to sleep. In 3.0.0 I still have that and when the home screen displays it first display a cover with two outline boxes and the title in the center, then the real covers show up. So far my Aura HD has always turned on and/or connect, and even when I was getting the message to please format my card to FAT32 it would display the home screen and I could open the books on the card (all of my books are on the card) with no further problems until next time it woke up grumpy. BTW this isn't a Windows message it is a message displayed on the Kobo screen and pressing X or OK would let the reader continue on it's normal way. Helen PS The last time it went to sleep it did not get around to displaying the real cover. So I powered on using the increasingly familiar reset procedure, put it to sleep and the real cover showed up again and I was able to power on normally. I am starting to think it is smarter than I thought and is messing with my head. Helen Last edited by speakingtohe; 11-20-2013 at 12:27 AM.

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11-19-2013, 09:14 PM	#2
Ken Maltby Wizard Posts: 4,465 Karma: 6900052 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: The Heart of Texas Device: Boox Note2, AuraHD, PDA,	My AuraHD is running under Firmware 3.0.0 that I downloaded from https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=185660 I went from 2.8.1 to 3.0.0 so I never dealt with 2.9 or 2.10, but it should be worth a try. Luck; Ken

11-19-2013, 09:52 PM	#3
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,907 Karma: 47303748 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	I had a problem recently with my Glo where each time I connected to the PC, Windows would tell me the filesystem was dirty. The solution was to do a factory reset. This formatted everything and once it finished updating to 3.0.0, it was OK. Do you have another computer you can test with? If so, see what it says. It shouldn't be any different, but, it could be a sign of a problem with the PC rather than the device. If it happens on another computer, I think I would let Windows do what it wants. It should only be able to access the user portions of the drive. Reformatting will wipe the books and the database. When you disconnect, it will take you through the setup again. Hopefully, everything will be OK after that.

11-20-2013, 05:10 AM	#5
Nick Payne Connoisseur Posts: 87 Karma: 39898 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Canberra, Australia Device: Kobo Clara HD, Kobo Libra H2O	Since I updated my Aura HD to 3.0.0, the power button no longer seems to work. Sliding it across and holding it doesn't power off, and I have no idea if it would work to power the reader on as I can no longer power it off. I have the reader in a sleep cover, so I hardly ever use the power button anyway, but now if I need to power cycle the unit for any reason, the only way is via a paper clip in the reset hole. The reader otherwise seems to work fine.

11-20-2013, 11:14 AM	#8
rostyvyg Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2013 Device: Kobo Aura HD	Just got off the phone with Kobo customer care. They acknowledged that they are having tons of issues with 2.10 version of their FW including the symptoms I described and are working on fixes. ETA is unclear so far, though. I really love the hardware, shame they deploy the buggy software onto it...

11-20-2013, 07:30 PM	#11
rostyvyg Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2013 Device: Kobo Aura HD	Just to add to the original problem description. I performed the factory reset. The PC sees Kobo just fine before I set up the device. I sideload FW version 2.10.0 or 3.0.,0 it upgrades the FW and, again, PC sees Kobo, no problem. Now, after I set up the device (Wi-Fi and sign into Kobo) - here it goes, - after that my PC can't see ereader anymore and gives me "You need to format..." message. Works like a clock - tried multiple times. The moment I set up Wi-Fi and sign into Kobo the ereader becomes inaccessible from the PC. Go figure...

11-20-2013, 07:44 PM	#12
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 12,160 Karma: 73448616 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Nexus 7, Clara, Touch, Tolino EPOS	What happens if you leave the 32GB SD card OUT of the unit?

11-20-2013, 08:07 PM	#13
rostyvyg Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2013 Device: Kobo Aura HD	That's what I did last few times, I removed microSD card from eReader and went through factory reset, FW upgrade steps. As I said, the moment setup is finished eReader starts causing "You need to format..." message. I tried to connect it to Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 2008 computers - same message. But! My son offered me to try to connect ereader to MacBook Pro and there was no error message and we were able to see internal memory of ereader in Finder. So - no joy on any of the Windows PC's and OK on Mac. This is driving me nuts...

11-20-2013, 08:19 PM	#14
rostyvyg Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2013 Device: Kobo Aura HD	Saga continues. So I decided not to connect to Wi-Fi and try to setup ereader using Kobo Desktop. Factory reset, PC sees ereader, sideload FW 3.0.0, unplug ereader, update goes through, connect to PC, PC sees ereader just fine, starting Kodo desktop, going into "Setup ereader", see circling progress indicator for a few seconds, then message - "can't communicate to device". Looking in Windows Explorer - no ereader listed anymore. Disconnected, connected again and now the "You need to format drive..." message. As if something happens in the background and alters Windows "perception" of the device soon after the FW upgrade goes through...

11-20-2013, 08:37 PM	#15
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,907 Karma: 47303748 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	This makes me think there is a problem with the internal SD card. When it was connected to the Mac, did you copy any files to the drive? Another test would be to do the factory reset, connect to the PC but not start the Kobo desktop. Then see what happens if you copy a few files to the drive. If that fails, then I think it is the internal card. In any case, I would probably return it and get a replacement. If for some reason you can't do that, you can open it, take the SD card out and test it. Or replace it with another. You will need an image to do that, but that can be supplied.

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